As the title suggests – week 1 & 2 of intermediate cuisine was definitely not a breeze. The lessons were designed such that it really stretches us in order to prepare us for what is ahead in Superior – Restaurant Class (during which we ‘run’ our own little restaurant that is opened to public).

Although stressful, Intermediate Cuisine offered us the opportunity to whip up some really beautiful dishes so far –

[LEFT] CHICKEN LIVER PATE (by Chef Andreas) – I discovered that I dislike cooking this dish as much as I dislike eating it, period.
[RIGHT] WARM APPLE AND ALMOND TART with HONEY BUTTER (by Chef Andreas) – a beautiful tart which I would prefer more apples and less frangipane (almond filling)

[LEFT] BLUE EYE COD PAPILOTTE (by Chef Tristan) – Papilotte is the method of cooking the dish in a “pouch/parcel” (made using silicone paper) and baked. Easy, tasty, healthy – can’t wait to prepare this for my dad & mom!
[RIGHT] ROASTED DUCK BREAST with PORCINI MUSHROOMS, SAUTEED POTATOES with HAM (by Chef Tristan) – Stuffed with duxelle…this is definitely not my favorite in terms of preparation because I always spend such a looong time dicing my mushrooms, somehow. However, the dish itself is lovely – I LOVE DUCK BREASTS!

[LEFT] SCRAMBLED EGGS with TRUFFLE (by Chef Andreas) – scrambled egg is simple? Think again. I struggled….and it’s a long way to perfection, in my opinion.
[RIGHT] POACHED EGGS FLORENTINE (by Chef Andreas) – Basically made up of 2 poached eggs, spinach and Mornay Sauce. We also made Eggs Benedict in this lesson which I already posted in my previous post. As we finished the lesson early, I made use of the extra time to practice Omelette which we learnt last term – TOTAL EGG COUNT AT THE END OF LESSON: 16

[LEFT] GRILLED ENTRECOTE with MAITRE D’HOTEL BUTTER served with PONT NEUF POTATOES (by Chef Andreas) – a simple yet beautiful dish. Pont Neuf Potatoes translates to “New Bridge Potatoes” which is essentially just hand-cut fries arranged in a bridge-like manner
[RIGHT] STRAWBERRY TART WITH APRICOT GLAZE (by Chef Andreas) – As strawberries are OUT of season here right now (unusually) – not only are they ugly but pricey too! This resulted in not-so-pretty looking strawberry tarts. Learning: It is important for chefs to beware of seasonal foods!

[LEFT] SALAD OF SMOKED TROUT ON BABY BREANS AND KIPFLER POTATOES with SOFT POACHED EGG (by Chef Tristan) – A very beautiful contemporary salad…just beware of the fish bones.
[RIGHT] OREILLETTES (by Chef Tristan) – A very delightful street food….but nothing beats my favorite churros!!!

THREE CHEESE RISOTTO with PARMESAN TUILLE (by Chef Tristan) – The amount of cheese in this dish is unbelievable! Risotto lovers will love this, trust me.

[LEFT] TUNA TARTARE ON ASIAN SPOON (by Chef Andreas) – Serving food on asian spoon is in trend now 🙂 Tastes as good as it looks!
[RIGHT] ROAST SCALLOPS with TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALSA (by Chef Andreas) – I didn’t know preparing scallops could be this simple…makes a great appetizer!

[LEFT] SMOKED SALMON POTATO PIKELET (by Chef Andreas) – The third canape  we prepared in this lesson….what a beautiful dish don’t you think?
[RIGHT] SEASONAL MIXED SALAD with ROQUEFORT DRESSING (by Chef Andreas) – I am one of those who find blue cheese smelly 😦

All in all, a tough first 2 weeks. Often, I struggled to execute well at the end of each lesson – something which I found extremely disappointing. My constant dilemma – should I present a perfect dish late or an imperfect dish on time?